(St. Catharines, ON) – The semi-final match-ups are set following quarter-final action today at the first-ever Women’s U25 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships. Canada, Great Britain, Australia and the United States separated themselves as medal contenders from the rest of the pack in a day of heated competition. 

Team Canada advanced to the semi-finals with a 63-48 victory over Mexico. The hometown team will clash with rival Australia in the semi-final contest set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday July 20, 2011. 

“We had a solid effort in today’s game against Mexico and we’ll need a similar effort against a strong Australian team tomorrow night,” said Team Canada Head Coach Michael Broughton. 
Mexico drew first blood on the scoreboard to open the quarter-final match but Canada (4-0) responded with an 11-0 run in front of an animated crowd. The Canadians extended the lead to finish a strong first frame and held the 20-6 edge going into the second quarter. 

Mexico (0-4) pushed back in the second frame while the Canadians struggled to convert their shots for baskets. Mexico outscored Canada 16-12 to cut into the deficit and enter the break down 32-22. 

The Canadians ultimately weathered the storm and pushed their game to the limit in the final half of the contest. The Canucks outscored Mexico 31-26 to seize the win and advance to medal contention. 

Cindy Ouellet led the offensive onslaught for Canada, scoring a game-high 24 points and added 13 rebounds for the double-double. With her offensive production on the scoreboard in this game, Ouellet took over the overall tournament scoring lead with 89 points. 

Mexico’s Floralia Estrada also tallied 24 points, tying the game-high in point production, while picking up 15 rebounds and a double-double in the loss. Mexico will now face Japan in the consolation round tomorrow at 1:15 p.m. 

The fiery competitiveness was also in full force in the first game of the day, as Great Britain (2-2) secured a crucial 56 – 38 victory over Germany (2-2). The first half saw the teams exchange baskets and both squads entered the break in a 23-23 deadlock. Great Britain found its groove in the second half and Germany struggled to hit shots down the stretch, which proved to be the deciding factor in the game. 

Germany’s Mareike Adermann scored a team-high 16 points while Helen Freeman tallied a game-high 22 points in a winning effort for Great Britain. Great Britain advanced to a semi-final clash with the United States, while Germany will meet South Africa in the consolation round on Wednesday. 

Next up, Australia (3-1) and Japan (1-3) battled in a heated competition that came down to the final buzzer. Australia took the lead early in the first quarter but Japan countered in the second frame to keep the lead within reach and trailed by 25-22 at the half. Australia continued to hit the mark in the in the second half, but Japan showed no quit and remained a threat in a hard-fought fourth quarter. Japan came to within three points in the dying seconds of the game, but a three-point attempt to tie the game with one second left hit the rim and secured the win for Australia. 

Australia will face Canada in the semi-finals, while Japan will tip off against Mexico in the consolation round. 

In the third match-up of the day, the United States captured a decisive 73-12 win over South Africa. Mackenzie Soldan and Emily Seelenfreund scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, for the Americans as the entire bench saw action in the game. Alitha Madyibi scored a team-high 6 points for South Africa. The United States will renew rivalries with Great Britain in the semi-finals while South Africa will play Germany in the consolation round on Wednesday. 

All of the games will be webcast live on the official event website. For more information, visitu25wwbc.com. 

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About the 2011 U25WWBC 
The first-ever Women's U25 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships is a milestone event in the ongoing growth of wheelchair basketball around the globe and forges a legacy of unprecedented opportunity for young women in sport. The tournament features teams from Australia, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Mexico, South Africa and the United States. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation event is co-hosted by Wheelchair Basketball Canada and Brock University. 
The tournament is brought to you in part by Sport Canada, the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Canadian Paralympic Committee, 49 Bespoke and Visit St. Catharines. Visit www.u25wwbc.com for more information. 

About Wheelchair Basketball Canada 
Wheelchair Basketball Canada is the national sports governing body responsible for the organization of wheelchair basketball in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization that is the Canadian member to the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF). 
Wheelchair basketball is a fast paced, hard-hitting, competitive sport that has emerged as one of the most competitive and athletic sports played at the Paralympic Games. Our senior national teams are held in high esteem around the world for the elite skill and control that placed them on the podium with a combined five gold and one silver medal in the last five Paralympic Games. Visit: www.wheelchairbasketball.ca for more information. 

About Brock University 
Brock University is located atop the Niagara Escarpment in Ontario’s Niagara peninsula. With 17,000 full-time students and nearly 600 faculty, Brock is buzzing with activity and welcoming visitors to the campus every day. 

For more information or to schedule an interview contact: 

Courtney Pollock 
Communications & Media Relations Assistant 
Wheelchair Basketball Canada 
T: 289-686-9157 or 613-260-1296 ext. 200 
cpollock@wheelchairbasketball.ca 

Jody Kingsbury 
Communications & Media Relations Manager 
Wheelchair Basketball Canada 
T: 613-851-2337 or 613-260-1296 ext. 204 
jkingsbury@wheelchairbasketball.ca 

On the web: u25wwbc.com 
Facebook: facebook.com/u25wwbc 
Twitter: @WCBballCanada / #u25wwbc 
YouTube: youtube.com/WheelchairBball 
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/wheelchairbasketball